Page 23 of Knot Excused
Her scent was stronger in here, and I was absolutely sure she had been in the house now.
“Where is Piper?” I repeated, in a friendly manner, but I was not sure it was fully getting across.
Pasting a friendly face onto my own naturally stern and unexpressive one has always been my biggest challenge as a politician, and one reason I always assumed I needed a sweet and gentle Omega, to smooth over my shortcomings. But right now I didn’t give a shit about my career or anything else.
“Piper who?” Otis asked, scratching his chin with a floury hand. “Isn’t ringing a bell.”
“This entire house smells like her,” I said, struggling to keep my temper. “I know she’s been here. It’s useless trying to deny it.”
“I saw you with her at the wedding,” Teddy put in. “I know you’re friends with her.”
“So what if I am?” Otis asked indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ll never torture any information about Piper out of me!”
“Who said anything about torture?” I bit out. “We just want to find her and make sure she’s safe. We’re her Alpha Pack.”
Otis snorted.
“Some Pack. With you all sticking your pickles where they don’t belong. You don’t deserve Piper.”
Shit shit shit
It was clear as Piper’s friend he was way too well-informed about the situation. And he was in no mood to help us.
“Tell us where she is,” Erain growled.
Otis only shook his head. “Never. You boys have fucked up on a cosmic level across the celestial planes.”
Before I had a chance to ask what that meant, Teddy gripped my bicep hard.
“There they are!” he cried excitedly, pointing at three tiny furry faces peeking around the corner.
“Since when is it a crime for a man to own three cats?” Otis asked indignantly.
“I know that’s them,” Teddy repeated. “A little white one, a little orange one, and a tortoiseshell.”
“I admit to nothing,” said Otis belligerently. “Torture me if you must. Tear out my toenails.”
“No one is—tearing out your toenails,” I said, grinding my jaw. The last thing I wanted was for Piper to hear we were harassing her friend.
“We want to—make up for our mistakes,” Erain said stiffly.
Otis snorted expansively.
“You all need therapy.Serioustherapy. If you ever want to find out why you’ve been such disgraceful assholes, feel free to visit me. For a small fee, of course. Now, begone.”
He bent and picked up all three kittens and held them while they crawled all over his arms, chest, and shoulders. Then he glared at us belligerently.
I could practically see the wheels turning in Teddy’s head as he ran a hand through his curls.
“Could we maybe. . .watch her kittens? We promise to take good care of them.”
From the shocked look on Otis’ face and the way his moustache bristled in disgust you’d have thought we had suggested selling them to the circus.
“Over my dead body!” he snorted. “Piper left these kittens in my care and in my care they shall remain.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know Piper,” Erain put in, but Otis raised his arm majestically and pointed to the front door.
“Begone with you!”
